Searching for Answers
by RedPillow
Summary: 19 year old Draco Malfoy is now a lawyer working for the Ministry of Magic. He hasn't lost any case yet. The problem is, his newest client is none other than Hermione Granger. Can Draco forget their past and prove Hermione inncent in court? What happens w
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Yea, well I was in the mood to write a mystery so here it is. XD Please read the summary, it is very important! If you don't you'll be very confused throughout the story!

Summary: Draco Malfoy is now a lawyer. During his 6th year of Hogwarts, his father was killed by the Dementor's Kiss. For his 7th year, his mother transferred him to Beauxbatons so he could get a better law education. Nacrissa herself died in the middle of the year because she was sick and fed up with grief over the death of Lucius. Draco stumbles upon a case that will explain what exactly happened during the 7th year at Hogwarts.

Disclaimer: I own nothing except the idea.

Note: '…' means a character's thoughts  
_italicized words_ are part of a letter

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Draco Malfoy sat back in his chair with his feet up on his desk and his arms crossed behind his head. It hadn't been a busy month so far, so lately he was found just sitting back and relaxing.

He thought that this would be another free day, but he was terribly wrong. For out of the blue sky emerged a small brown owl that rapped on the window to Draco's office, waiting to be let in.

Draco lazily got up and opened the window. The owl dropped a package on his desk and Draco gave it a galleon. The owl hooted in delight and zoomed out of the window.

Draco closed the window and then proceeded to open the letter, hoping that it would be an interesting case.

On the paper, it said:

_Mr. Malfoy,_

_We have another case on hand and we feel that you will be the perfect lawyer for this one. A house has been burned, killing twelve occupants of the house at the time. _

At this, Draco's eyes widened. 'Twelve people?!' He continued to read on, anticipation overtaking his body.

_The home of Arthur Weasley has been burned down on the night of the twenty fifth of March. That night at "the Burrow" as it was called, a family reunion was taking place. The fire was set and it surrounded the house, trapping the whole family inside with no escape root. Not one person survived. _

_On the enclosed papers, we have a list of all those who are dead, and a suspect who you must defend if this offer is accepted by you. _

_I hope that you do accept, and that we will be seeing you soon. _

_Sincerely,_

_Elaine Deffler  
(President of Law and Order at the Ministry of Magic)_

Draco took out the other papers and flipped through them. He immediately signed the contract saying that he would take the case, because he was desperately in need of money to support his single, 19 year old self. Plus, the case sounded interesting enough.

Immediately after he signed his name, the piece of paper sparkled and was clamped shut. Draco knew this would happen, because in a wizard contract when you sign it, the contract becomes unbreakable.

Draco continued to look through the papers (mostly junk explaining a wizard contract's rules and such, which Draco already knew of) until he got to the list of the deceased and the name of the suspect.

_The killed:_

_1) Arthur Weasley_

_2) Molly Weasley_

_3) Charles Weasley _

_4) Amanda Weasley_

_5) William Weasley_

_6) Fleur Weasley_

_7) Percy Weasley_

_8) Penelope Weasley_

_9) Fredrick Weasley_

_10) George Weasley_

_11) Ronald Weasley_

_12) Ginerva Weasley_

_The (suspected) killer:_

_Hermione Granger_

After reading this, Draco dropped the paper in shock. 'Granger?! Killing the Weasels?! What the bloody hell did I miss in 7th year?!?!"

A/N: Sorry, it's a little short because I thought that this was a good place to stop. D I hope I did a good job with the letter; I have never been a lawyer nor have I ever dealt with any business relating to the law. Also, please tell me if I did the full names of the characters right. If anyone knows that they are incorrect; please tell me in your review! Also, I know that you _will_ review because you are reading this story! (starts cackling madly)


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Wow, it's been so long since I updated; this I know. I had just been so caught up in school and other things so I am going to try and update frequently now. However, I am going on vacation next month (practically all of next month) so I am going to try to get as much of this done that I can do this month.

In regards to my other stories, I am probably putting them both on hold. I have completely lost inspiration for Neville in Wonderland and haven't lately been in the mood to write The Bagpipes and the Serpant. I may or may not drop Neville in Wonderland because quite frankly, my writing style has completely changed. And I won't be dropping The Bagpipes and the Serpant—not yet anyway.

Also, my friend and I have created a joint account and have started a new story called: The Evil Matchmaking Plans of Ronald Weasley. The penname is: TheGreenSharpie. Please check the story out; it should be good!

Now, when I saw the amount of reviews I got for this story, I was shocked! I am so thankful to all who are reading this story!

**Clove:** I'm glad you like it! Thanks for reading and reviewing!

**Jenn:** Thanks for the compliment! Here is chapter 2.

**Kawaii-konnichiwa: **Thanks for the compliment! And no, sadly, I am not going to bring back the Weasley family from the dead.

**NERDofTHEmonth:** Wow, thanks for all the compliments in there! Thanks for reading and reviewing!

**Princess of the Moon:** Wow, it is my most faithful reviewer. You have reviewed everything I've written and I appreciate that. Thanks for the compliments! And your idea is exactly what will happen in this story, but it will happen with a little twist. 8) Thanks for reading and reviewing!

**Strawberiwine3089: **I don't believe that I have read PreArranged, but I will check it out…and all your other stories as well. I assume someone recommended you as an author, so I just added you to my favorites list, as something to read in the future. I'm happy that you love my stories, thanks for reading and reviewing!

**Draco's-gurl-01: **Here is my continuation; I am glad that you want to follow this story. The reason she killed them is because—I mean, you'll find out in the story! Thanks for reading and reviewing!

**_Oh, and before I forget_**, the reason that Draco is in need of money is that even though he has inherited money from his parents, he wants to uphold his dignity and show the world what he is made of. Though he would love to take the easy way out, he wants to bring back the reputation to the Malfoy name, and therefore is not using any of his parents' money.

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It was four o' clock in the afternoon, and a very nervous Draco Malfoy was pacing his office. His newest client, Hermione Granger, was to arrive any minute. 'What if she tries to do something to me—tries to kill me! If she killed some of her best friends, then she obviously will not hesitate to kill me. If she tries anything, what will I do? I can't hit a girl—I'm a MALFOY for Pete's sake! And she will gladly be willing to slap me…I guess I can use a spell on her. An unforgivable? Nah, I wouldn't be forgiven by the Ministry then. Ha, that's rich; not forgiven for an unforgivable…'

These thoughts continued to plague his mind for the next few minutes until they were interrupted by a soft knock on the door.

Draco nervously made his way over to the door while muttering to himself, "worst comes to worst, I can jump out of the window…accio my broom…"

Now in front of the mahogany door of his office, Draco was uncertain if he really wanted to go through with this. 'But I already signed the contract…' The logical part of his mind told him.

'Aw…to hell with it!' Draco turned the knob and politely said, "Good afternoon, Miss Granger."

However, Hermione was too busy to be paying attention to her old enemy's manners; she was currently talking to a guy who, to Draco, appeared to be their age. He seemed an inch or two taller than Draco, and had dark hair. Draco didn't catch a glimpse of the man's facial features because the stranger had his back to the lawyer, but assumed that it was Harry Potter.

After a few _are you sure you're going to be okay_'s to Hermione, the man gave her a quick peck on the lips. He proceeded to bounce down the hallway, and then he disappeared out of sight.

Draco, still staring curiously at the place where the man's retreating figure was merely seconds ago, didn't notice a brunette trying to get his attention.

Just then, a door across the hallway opened, revealing a dirty-blonde-haired woman who seemed to be in a hurry. Upon seeing Draco and Hermione, however, the quick pace in her step vanished.

"Mr. Malfoy, your client seems to be trying to get your attention. Hurry up, she might burn you if you ignore her." She said in a nasty, yet dreamy voice.

Hermione, realizing to whom the voice belonged, quickly spun around to face the woman. Although she had been slightly offended, she didn't show it.

"Luna!" Hermione asked, mildly surprised. "You're a lawyer?"

Luna gave Hermione a cold stare in response.

Draco, sensing the tension between the two, finally decided to take some action.

"Miss Granger, please step into my office. Good day, Miss Lovegood."

Luna flashed Draco a smile before hurrying off down the hallway. Draco sighed and walked back into his office, closing the door behind him. The dreaded moment had arrived.

"So, why'd you do it?"

Draco instantly froze at the sound of Hermione's voice. 'Why is _she_ questioning _me_?' he thought.

"Excuse me?" he asked, confused.

Hermione sighed. "Look Mal—Mr. Malfoy, you and I both know that we weren't ever on the best terms in school. So **why**, after all these years of hatred, did you take the position of being my lawyer?"

The question made complete sense to Draco, and he was pondering on how to word his response.

"Well…" he started. "I was…bored. I haven't had a case for a while, and wanted some excitement in life."

Hermione eyed Draco, unsure of whether to believe him.

"How many cases have you had?" she asked abruptly.

This caught Draco off guard and he thought about it. "Let's see…six, seven, eight…yours is my ninth."

Hermione looked mildly impressed. "And of those, how many have you lost?"

"None." Draco replied proudly.

Hermione's eyebrows rose. 'Is he serious?'

Draco smirked at her reaction. He suddenly remembered why she was here in his office, so decided to be the one interrogating.

"Moving on, _did _you kill the Weasels—Weasleys?" Draco asked.

Hermione hung her head low and Draco gasped.

"You mean to tell me that you _killed_ some of your best friends?" he asked incredulously.

Hermione was silent for a second. "…no."

Draco stopped holding his breath, which he didn't even know he was holding. But before he had a chance to say anything, he was interrupted.

"Ron and Ginny…they were no longer my best friends." Hermione said.

Draco's jaw dropped open. "So you _did_ kill them! And you're confessing it! Then, _why _the hell am I defending you in court?"

Hermione looked up and spoke softly. "It wasn't my fault that I killed them…honest." Her eyes were filled with remorse and she really did look like she was innocent of the crime. Draco knew, however, how deceiving looks could be.

"So, care to explain?" Draco asked, his voice being void of emotions. He moved over to behind his desk and sat down as he motioned for Hermione to sit down in the seat across from him. She did so, and began her story.

"It started in the end of sixth year. I don't know what really happened…Ron, Harry, and I— "The Golden Trio" as you called us, were no longer very "golden". We started getting farther apart. In contrast to our old unbreakable bond of friendship, we barely ever talked, and were constantly fighting. At first the fighting was rare, but then it grew into an everyday thing, over the littlest things. We'd fight if I came late to dinner. Hell, we'd even fight if I didn't come back to the common room at night."

At this, Draco looked at her in somewhat shock.

She saw his look and continued. "Of course, I was usually out for prefect duties—Ron no longer was prefect in 6th year and neither was Harry."

Although Draco already knew this, he nodded anyway.

"Then came seventh year, when I made Head Girl. It was in the beginning of the year, and I now shared a common room with the Head Boy. Things were good at first, because I didn't really see them. And then it happened. They one morning came into the Heads common room looking for me. They went to my room, but I wasn't there. They found me in the Head Boy's room."

If Hermione wasn't here on business, she would have been cracking up. The look on Draco's face was **priceless**.

"The Head Boy wasn't in the room at the time though, and when I tried to get them to understand the situation, but they weren't listening. Our friendship ended that day, just like that."

Draco actually had a little bit of pity for her. "So…what, err, _was _the situation?"

Hermione turned a slight shade of pink. "No, it wasn't anything like that…me and the Head Boy had switched rooms for that night, because he was trying to break up with a girl and she just wouldn't take a hint, so wanted to get her jealous." Seeing Draco's look, she added. "There wasn't anything going on between me and the Head Boy, either. We actually became good friends."

Draco chuckled. "Sure Hermione. Sure."

Hermione looked at him as though he had grown three heads. "What did you just call me?"

Draco stopped laughing. "I called you…"

'Oh shit! I called her Hermione! Why did I do that? Oh yeah, she's my client…that's a good excuse!' he thought.

"Hermione," he finished lamely.

Hermione rolled my eyes. "Yeah I know _that_. I mean, after a whole lifetime of calling me names that ranged from Mudblood to Granger when you were in your good moods, you have never once called me Hermione. Why the sudden change of heart?"

Draco inwardly wanted to curse her for using those words. "Well, I thought we should be…courteous to each other since we're doing business together." His face flushed as soon as he said this. "I mean, we're working together."

Hermione smirked at his obvious discomfort.

"Okay, Draco." She said, stretching his name out.

"Back to the case…who was the head boy?" Draco asked.

"It was…" Hermione started but stopped abruptly upon seeing a grey owl flying crazily outside of the window.

Draco followed her gaze and saw the owl so got up to open the window. As soon as he did this, the owl zoomed into the room and dropped a letter into Hermione's lap. She opened it and read it.

_Hermione—_

_Teddy's in Azkaban. They think that he's a death eater and believe that he is the one that broke into Gringotts. I can't come to pick you up, but maybe you can come with Malfoy to Azkaban by apparating or flooing to somewhere close by since you can't apparate or floo in/out of Azkaban. I'd really like to see him again, as much as I'd like to see my favorite girl. _

_I Love You _

Hermione dropped the letter to the floor and looked like she was about to cry. Draco noticed her sudden change in mood and became concerned.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I-I need to go to Azkaban."

"WHAT? I took up your case so that you _wouldn't_ be sent to Azkaban." Draco exclaimed.

"No, Draco, my best friend is in there. Do you think we could…go?" she asked, hesitantly.

"You…you want **me **to come?" Draco was expecting anything _but_ this.

Hermione nodded earnestly.

"Okay…" he said cautiously. "I know a place where we can floo to and then from there walk to Azkaban. It's called _Death Stop_."

Hermione gave him a quizzical look. "**Death stop!**"

Draco nodded.

Hermione shrugged and the two went towards the fireplace, Hermione being the first to floo and Draco being the second.

Once they arrived at _Death Stop_, Hermione looked around and ran into a man who had a knife in one hand. Draco immediately grabbed Hermione's shoulders and led her out of the shop.

After Hermione regained her composure, the two set off towards Azkaban. As soon as they reached there, Hermione ran up to the front desk.

"Excuse me. Can you tell me which cell Mr. Theodore Nott is in?" she asked.

'Theodore Nott! _He _is her best friend! I haven't seen him for years!' Draco shook himself out of his thoughts, and followed Hermione down a corridor and stopped when she stopped outside of cell number 372. She stepped into an embrace with the same dark-haired boy as before. However this time Draco realized who it was and gasped.

"Zabini?"

Blaise separated from Hermione and nodded to Draco.

Draco was confused. "Are you two…are you—"

Blaise nodded. "I am the proud fiancée of Hermione Granger."

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A/N: I thought that would be a good place to stop. Anyway, I didn't really like that chapter; it was mainly a fill in chapter to start giving out information on Hermione's past. Thoughts or comments? Review. Have none? Review anyway!

A/N 2: I just re-uploaded the chapter because when writing it in word, I had some ?s with !s after them, to give the affect of their shock, or the way that they wanted to ask a question. However, I can't post it like that (who the hell knows why..) so I changed some of the !s to ?s to make it in question form, etc. If anyone knows how to fix that problem, PLEASE tell me!


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